Fudd selected No.1 in WNBA draft, Ran becomes fourth selected Chinese player

The Dallas Wings selected Azzi Fudd of UConn with the first overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday, while forward Ran Kejia was selected 43rd overall by the Atlanta Dream, becoming the fourth Chinese player in history to be drafted.

Before Ran, Chinese centers Zheng Haixia, Han Xu and Li Yueru entered the WNBA through the draft. Zheng was selected 16th overall in the inaugural edition in 1997, while Han and Li were both selected in 2019.

Ran, 19, averaged team highs of 19.1 points and 11.3 rebounds at last year's FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup before being selected for the Chinese national team training camp. She made her senior international debut in a warm-up game against Spanish club Joventut Badalona in September last year.

Ran Kejia of China goes for a layup against Joventut Badalona. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

Standing 1.81 meters tall, she is playing for Sichuan in the 2025-26 Women's Chinese Basketball Association season, averaging 4.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in her debut professional campaign. Sichuan has advanced to the WCBA finals, where it will face Shanxi.

Fudd averaged 14.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists over five seasons with UConn, winning the NCAA championship in 2025.

Japanese guard Kokoro Tanaka, who averaged 14.8 points and 5.5 assists at the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup, was selected 38th overall by the Golden State Valkyries.